Car seats are of utter importance.
We want to keep our children safe no matter what. And in the case of an accident, we want them to be as unharmed as possible - that's why it's so important to make sure your child's car seat is safe and inserted properly into your car.
According to the HSE, by law, "all children under 150cms in height or 36kgs (79lbs) in weight must use a child
restraint system (CRS) suitable for their height and weight while travelling in a car
or goods vehicle (other than a taxi)."
As well as that, there is now a penalty for drivers who place a rearward-facing car seat in the front where there is an active airbag.
As for the types of car seats available, the HSE has compiled a list:
The RSA has also advised on safety measures to take with your child and a car seat:
- Take time to get your child comfortably strapped in.
- Make sure the seat’s harness or seatbelt is correctly adjusted for your child.
- The harness or seatbelt should be quite tight.
- If a harness is being used in rearward-facing seats, it should be tight enough so that only two fingers can fit between the top of the child’s shoulders and the harness but your fingers should be unable to rotate (turn) in that position.
- If a harness is being used in forward-facing seats, it should be tight enough so that only two fingers can fit between your child’s breastbone and the harness, but your fingers should be unable to rotate in that position.
- clothing can affect how snugly the harness fits, so you should use blankets instead of bulky jackets in the winter. This makes sure that the harness is making contact with your child’s body and you should check this before every journey.
Each car seat has different instructions for insertion into the car, so you must read the instructions carefully before attempting to fit it in.
If you want to read more about car seat safety, you can visit the
HSE website here, or the
RSA handbook here.
